Flagstone Press stall at the Oxford Guild of Printers Waygoose, July 10th 2010
Flagstone Press attended its first Wayzgoose at Burford School in July.
Wayzgoose was at one time the name for an entertainment given by a master printer to his workmen each year on or about St Bartholomew's Day (24 August). This marked the traditional end of summer and the point at which the season of working by candlelight began. Later, the word came to refer to the annual outing and dinner of the staff of a printing works or the printers on a newspaper.
Wayzgoose was at one time the name for an entertainment given by a master printer to his workmen each year on or about St Bartholomew's Day (24 August). This marked the traditional end of summer and the point at which the season of working by candlelight began. Later, the word came to refer to the annual outing and dinner of the staff of a printing works or the printers on a newspaper.
Well, it wasn't in August, and the day being hot and muggy, the summer is not yet ended. Other than that, we did have very entertaining day. Most of the other stall-holders at the event were Oxford Guild of Printers members, which means that most are primarily concerned with printing books by letterpress from metal type. Of those present, the Whittington Press is perhaps the best known. Also represented were the Strawberry Press of Dr. Paul Nash. From him I bought a lovely little volume entitled "A Woodcut: A Ghost Story Attempted in the Manner of M.R. James" (2009). The Gabriel Press of Cambridge was also represented (from whome I obtained a lovely copy of "ARGOS: Homer Odyssey 17" (2000) which is illustrated by woodblocks and contains Chapman's Book 17 of 1615, Pope's version of 1725, Churches of 1878 and Walcott's Omeros Book Seven Chapter LVI of 1990. The book which I bought is number 20 of only 40 produced, it is printed in Monotype Bembo and printed on the same Zerkall paper which we use for many of our own prints. It cost me less than £10.00, which like all of the books available at the Wayzgoose was ludicrously underpriced for the workmanship and effort that has gone into producing such an excellent artefact.
I could not resist a setting of "Jabberwocky" printed in 2010 by the Incline Press of Oldham who also sold me a tiny "Alphabetic Rhyme for Jonah", which is illiustrated with woodcuts. Finally, I was unable to pass without buying a copy of John Meade Faulkner's "The Three Priories" published by The Altantis Press of Wolvercote for the John Meade Faulkner Society. As a member of the senior common room of University College, Durham, I walked past JMF's house on Palace Green nearly every day for fifteen years. I was aware that he was Librarian to Durham Cathedral library, but not that he was also Chirman of Armstrong Whitworth the arms manufacturer on the Tyne during the Great War. His other well known works are of course "Moonfleet", "The Nebuly Coat," and "The Lost Stradivarius." In "Three Priories," he deals with Bridlington and Malton Priories in Yorkshire, and Woodspring in Somerset. Each priory has a woodcut and a poem. The production in Caslon type with sky blue Perpertua titling is a stunning example of the craft of typesetting. The photographs below show (from top to bottom), Dr Paul Nash (Strawberry Press), posters from the Whittington Press, and Flagstone Press.
I could not resist a setting of "Jabberwocky" printed in 2010 by the Incline Press of Oldham who also sold me a tiny "Alphabetic Rhyme for Jonah", which is illiustrated with woodcuts. Finally, I was unable to pass without buying a copy of John Meade Faulkner's "The Three Priories" published by The Altantis Press of Wolvercote for the John Meade Faulkner Society. As a member of the senior common room of University College, Durham, I walked past JMF's house on Palace Green nearly every day for fifteen years. I was aware that he was Librarian to Durham Cathedral library, but not that he was also Chirman of Armstrong Whitworth the arms manufacturer on the Tyne during the Great War. His other well known works are of course "Moonfleet", "The Nebuly Coat," and "The Lost Stradivarius." In "Three Priories," he deals with Bridlington and Malton Priories in Yorkshire, and Woodspring in Somerset. Each priory has a woodcut and a poem. The production in Caslon type with sky blue Perpertua titling is a stunning example of the craft of typesetting. The photographs below show (from top to bottom), Dr Paul Nash (Strawberry Press), posters from the Whittington Press, and Flagstone Press.
